SECTION 5
Apron and Mold
Conveyors
5.1 GENERAL
Apron conveyors for handling bulk materials are usually
made of metal pans, either overlapping or hinged at the
articulation points, and mounted on a double strand of
steel strap roller chain and riding on single-flanged roll-
ers. They operate horizontally or at inclines up to about
25°, sometimes even 30°, from the horizontal, depend-
ing on material and size of lumps. They can be made in
heavy- or light-duty designs, depending upon the sever-
ity of service required, and are usually made up in widths
varying from 12 in. to 60 in., depending upon the ca-
pacity and size of lumps in the material handled. They
are particularly useful as feeders (refer to section 7). In
this application, they are generally provided with sta-
tionary side plates for increased capacities and handling
of large, lumpy materials. Their operating speeds as
feeders are slow, not much over 10 fpm, but as convey-
ors, they can run safely at up to 100 fpm.
5.2 NO-LEAK TYPES
The no-leak or leakproof type is well suited to handle
materials with small particle sizes, because the side
plates are made part of the pans, and special attention is
paid to obtaining an overlap with the closest clearance
possible to prevent leakage. It is designed to withstand
the wear of abrasive materials, the chains being located
under the pans to avoid direct fall of material on them.
Carrying rollers are located outboard on the cross rods
for easy accessibility for repairs. A double-beaded type
171
J. Fruchtbaum, Bulk Materials Handling Handbook
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1988
of steel pan is used on the no-leak or leakproof aprons
and on light service conveyors where short pitch,
cheaper chains may be used. There are many variations
of the overlapping pans, all shown in manufacturers'
catalogs.
The popular type of apron conveyor pans are shown
on figures 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4. The pans of the single-
beaded design, Style AC (Type 1), are available in sev-
eral thicknesses in 9- and 12-in. pitch chains. This style
of pan provides free discharge of material and, because
of the pan shape, is suitable for use on conveyors in-
clined up to 25°. For handling any heavy lumps, the pan
can be equipped with steel-capped wood filler blocks.
The filler blocks must be capped to avoid contamina-
tion. The general dimensions of the pans, complete with
double strand of chain, are shown in tables 5.1, 5.2,
5.3, 5.4, and in manufacturers' catalogs.
Shallow skirts are used for handling individual pieces,
rather than bulk materials. Where the materials run to
volume rather than weight, higher skirts are used. Where
there is danger of material becoming entangled in the
side wings, the guards project to the pans and overlap
the side wings.
5.3 HEAVY ORES AND LARGE
LUMPS
Heavy ores and large lumps are handled on apron feed-
ers and conveyors designed for this class of service. Pans
can be made of heavy steel, reinforced on the bottom
by tee rails, or of cast manganese of heavy thickness.
 172 APRON AND MOLD CONVEYORS

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9-in. pitch 9-in. pitch

Figure 5.1 Heavy-duty no-leak apron.